In connection with an aircraft, single-crystal (SX) superalloy components provide superior mechanical properties at high temperatures necessary for efficient engine operation. During the manufacture of such components, there are several crystallographic anomalies that may be realized. Such anomalies may include recrystallized grains (RX), secondary grains, freckles, slivers grains, and misaligned primary dendrite.
The anomalies can result in degraded performance or even inoperability of a component. Therefore, detection capabilities of such anomalies are important. In instances where the anomalies mentioned earlier, especially RX, occur in the interior of the component or on a region which is covered by a coating, the detection of the anomalies by non-destructive techniques (with respect to the component) is not possible with conventional technology.